The Natural State with Dr. Anthony Gustin Dr. Anthony Gustin

Dr. Terry Wahls was diagnosed with secondary progressive Multiple Sclerosis (MS) diagnosis in 2007.
 
She was bedridden and could barely walk and sitting up was a challenge for her.
 
As a medical doctor, she dove into aggressive treatment options to try to beat her disease and symptoms, but unfortunately, they didn’t find much relief.
 
She also dealt with debilitating pain that made it hard for her to work and function normally.
 
Instead of succumbing to MS, Dr. Wahls vowed to do everything she could to alleviate the awful symptoms she was dealing with.
 
It led her down a path of discovering nutritional and lifestyle therapies that could offer real relief.
 
They were so effective that she became active again, both walking and cycling, and she returned to living a normal life, free from being wheelchair-bound, with a huge increase in her quality of life.
 
She went on to develop The Wahls Protocol and led several research studies, including eight clinical trials, that proved just how effective these dietary changes are in treating progressive MS.
 
In this episode with Dr. Anthony Gustin, you’ll hear about Dr. Wahls’ inspiring and incredible health journey, how nutrition can drastically impact autoimmune conditions, and the diets that can help these conditions.
 
You’ll also hear her thoughts on using the carnivore diet for autoimmune conditions, the two nutrient-dense foods she recommends eating whether you’re sick or not, and the spiritual component of healing and health.
 
Dr. Wahl also shares the symptoms and conditions that may be a red flag for future autoimmune issues, what you can do to treat those before they become worse, and the mindset she adopted to help herself and her family get through the most challenging parts of her health journey.
 
Dr. Terry Wahls is a clinical professor of medicine at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine. She teaches internal medicine residents in their primary care clinics and does clinical research.
 
Dr. Wahls has been published in over 60 peer-reviewed scientific abstracts, posters, and papers, and her work has been cited thousands of times.
 
She’s also on her eighth clinic trial, working hard to show that dietary and lifestyle interventions are effective treatment options for people suffering from autoimmune conditions.
 
In this episode, you’ll learn about the following topics:
Dr. Terry Wahls’ incredible health journey and how she went from barely being able to walk or sit up to being active again and living a high quality of life despite being diagnosed with secondary progressive MS
Dr. Wahls’ aha moment in her healing health journey and how she started researching alternative treatment options
The diets being studied for progressive MS treatments and which ones have shown the most promising results
The nutrients she focused on adding to her diet to start repairing her mitochondrial health
Is the carnivore diet a good option for people with autoimmune conditions like MS?
Is there only one diet or more than one that works at increasing the longevity and quality of life in MS patients?
Two nutrient-dense foods Dr. Wahls included in her diet to improve her MS outcomes
Other conditions that may benefit from The Wahls Protocol
The other lifestyle factors Dr. Wahls addressed aside from nutrition to improve her condition and quality of life
The spiritual component to better health and healing
What keeps Dr. Wahls going now that she’s seen incredible improvements in her condition
 
Resources mentioned:
Dr. Terry Wahls’ website
Dr. Terry Wahls’ Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube channel
Where you can donate to help support Dr. Wahls’ incredible research
Dr. Wahls’ book, The Wahls Protocol

Dr. Will Cole, a leading functional medicine expert and best-selling author, discusses a term he came up with, shameflammation, and dives into what that is and why it could be an underlying health issue for many people, including healthy patients.
 
Dr. Cole also addresses the connection between mental and physical health, stored traumas, the difference between shame and guilt, and more in this episode.
 
You’ll also hear about the free interventions Dr. Cole recommends using to address these issues and more about his latest book, Gut Feelings: Healing the Shame-Fueled Relationship Between What You Eat and How You Feel.
 
Dr. Will Cole is a leading functional medicine expert who has been in practice for over 13 years. 
 
He uses telehealth practices to help patients all over the world.
 
Dr. Cole has also written four books, hosts a podcast called The Art of Being Well, and has been recognized as one of the top 50 functional and integrative doctors nationwide. 
 
In this episode, you’ll hear more about:
Understanding the connection between mental and physical health 
Dr. Will Cole’s term “shameflammation” and how shame impacts our health
The difference between experiencing shame versus guilt
Where does shameflammation come from?
How stress and trauma are stored in the body and what can be done about it
Interventions to improve both physical and mental health and resolve shameflammation
Why aren’t these free interventions being prescribed by traditional doctors? Is it because there’s no money to be made from them?
How healthy habits could be making your health worse and what you can do to fix this
What Dr. Cole’s personal journey looks like
Working to address intergenerational trauma
Dr. Cole’s experience with psychedelics for treating trauma and other alternative treatment options
Information on his latest book, Gut Feelings: Healing the Shame-Fueled Relationship Between What You Eat and How You Feel
 
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Dr. Will Cole’s website
Dr. Cole’s Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube channel
Dr. Cole’s latest book, Gut Feelings: Healing the Shame-Fueled Relationship Between What You Eat and How You Feel
The Body Keeps the Score, by Bessel van der Kolk M.D.
Realms of Human Consciousness: Observations from LSD Research, by Stanislav Grof

Fifth-generation dairy farmer Tara Vander Dussen and former pharmacist turned rancher Natalie Kovarik are two amazing women in the regenerative agriculture space.
 
They’re challenging the notion that bigger is bad and smaller is better in farming, and they’re highlighting how regenerative agriculture practices can’t be a one size fits all approach and must be adjusted based on the region the farm resides in.
 
As Tara and Natalie share in this episode, since they live in drastically different regions, their regenerative ag practices differ in some ways, and so do their cows, which you’ll hear all about.
 
Despite the differences, they’re both focused on running sustainable farms that help mitigate climate change and educating people on what that looks like.
 
In this episode, you’ll learn about Natalie and Tara’s unique backgrounds, their struggles on their farms, how their cattle help the environment, and why they’re so passionate about what they do.
 
You’ll also discover the current state and future projections for regenerative agriculture, why so many companies are already greenwashing in the space, what can be done about it, and where this powerful duo gets their own food.
 
Here’s a quick breakdown of some of the topics they get into with Dr. Anthony Gustin:
Tara and Natalie share their backgrounds and how they found themselves in the regenerative agriculture space
The current state of regenerative ag and how many companies are greenwashing and turning the term into a buzzword
The spectrum of regenerative ag and why some practices work for some ranchers but won’t work for others
The struggles Natalie and Tara have personally faced on their farms
They also share their thoughts on scaling regenerative agriculture
The difference between having a large versus a small regenerative ag herd
Tara and Natalie also discuss their farm sizes and how big their operations are
Tara shares her thoughts on consuming raw dairy
How cattle bring value to our food system
Can a commercial model work for poultry or pork to make it more sustainable?
One possible solution to mitigate the effects of climate change
The weird censorship happening on social media against beef and its true impact on climate change
Where Tara and Natalie find the motivation to do the work they do
What we need to do and change moving forward to make an impact on a larger scale
Where Tara and Natalie get most of the foods they eat
 
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Natalie Kovarik’s website
Natalie’s Instagram
Tara Vander Dussen’s website
Tara’s Instagram
Natalie and Tara’s podcast Discover Ag
Discover Ag’s Instagram
The Natural State Podcast Episode 095: Will Harris - Regenerative Agriculture and Why More Farms Should Switch to this Eco-Friendly Model
The Meat Mafia Podcast
Wendell Berry's book, The Pleasures of Eating
The Holy Earth: The Birth of a New Land Ethic, by Liberty Hyde Bailey, Wendell Berry, and John Linstrom

Charley Cummings started his business Walden Local as a way to connect farmers with consumers. He also worked to address and fix the issues in the entire food supply system in his local New England area, and now it proudly serves 30,000 families there.
 
His business tackles everything from raising and processing animals to hand delivering the meat to consumers.
 
In this podcast episode, you’ll hear all about what led Charley to start this business, the problems he’s addressing, the obstacles he faced, and so much more.
 
On top of building Walden Local, Charley also created Walden Mutual, which is a bank that supports the local economy and, more specifically, the local farming community he works with.
 
You’ll not only hear about how Charley started Walden Mutual in this episode, but you’ll also learn about the true impact of your bank deposit dollars — you’ll be surprised by this one — and why you should pay more attention to where your money goes.
 
Here’s a look at some of the topics Charley and Dr. Anthony Gustin discuss:
Charley’s story and how he found himself in this local agricultural movement space
Charley’s experience that made him realize something more needed to be done to connect consumers with local farmers
What Charley’s business Walden Local does
The pivotal point that shifted Charley’s thinking on addressing global environmental issues and how he still uses this thought process today
How Charley wanted to play a role in tackling environmental issues
Why there’s no silver bullet to climate change and what can be done instead
The problems Charley initially set out to solve and what that looks like today
How Charley addressed issues like moving massive quantities of ground beef
Why Charley doesn’t ship his meat and the delivery approach he uses instead
Some of the challenges farmers in his area faced and what he did to help people overcome them
What happens to your money when you deposit it in a traditional bank
How to change where your deposit dollars go and why you’d want to do that 
 
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Charley Cummings’ Walden Local website
Charley’s Walden Local Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook
The bank Charley started - Walden Mutual
Charley’s email - Charley@WaldenMutual.com

Dr. Zach Bush is a well-known physician specializing in internal medicine, endocrinology, and hospice care and a world-renowned educator and thought leader on topics like how the microbiome relates to health, disease, and our food systems.
 
Dr. Bush also founded a non-profit, Farmer’s Footprint, which connects farmers with consumers, and a supplement company Intelligence of Nature, or ION.
 
In this episode, Dr. Bush and Dr. Anthony Gustin discuss how prevalent glyphosate exposure is, whether it’s possible to avoid environmental toxins, and if eating organic foods can protect you from these harmful chemicals.
 
Dr. Bush and Dr. Gustin also chat about spirituality topics like how to find your purpose and how to regain connection with our food system, along with regenerative agriculture and Dr. Bush’s mostly plant-based eating approach.
 
If you’re unfamiliar with Dr. Zach Bush, you’ll hear about his incredible background and how he went from majoring in engineering in college to becoming a doctor and eventually getting out of a broken healthcare system.
 
Dr. Bush also runs an eight-week transformative health course, which he also chats about in this episode, and dives into his extensive knowledge on soil health, how polluted our waters have become, building immunity while traveling, and what it takes to improve the gut/brain health connection.
 
Here’s a breakdown of some of the topics in this episode:
How Dr. Zach Bush went from being an engineering major in college to becoming a doctor and doing what he does today
How Dr. Bush was able to break through the noise and get out of a troubled healthcare system
How Dr. Bush discovered his purpose in life and his suggestions for finding yours 
What Dr. Bush does to maintain his health, mindset, purpose, and more
How Dr. Bush balances and supports his health in a toxic environment and while traveling
More about his company, ION health, which stands for Intelligence of Nature, and how it helps people
How glyphosate is everywhere, how it’s detrimental to our health, and what can be done about it
Does glyphosate really have a half-life?
Why you may have more glyphosate exposure than you realize and what can be done about it
What you can do to protect yourself while traveling
Dr. Bush also shares his thoughts on regenerative agriculture and why he chooses to eat mostly plant-based
 
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Dr. Zach Bush’s website
Dr. Bush’s Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube channel
Dr. Zach Bush’s Intelligence of Nature (ION) supplement line
Dr. Bush’s eight-week course The Journey of Intrinsic Health
Dr. Bush’s Farmer’s Footprint website
Dr. Bush’s Farmer’s Footprint Australian website
The Natural State Podcast Episode 158: Dr. Stephan van Vliet - Comparing the Nutrient Density of Grass-Fed vs. Grain-Fed Meat
 

Ty Beal, nutrition researcher and Research Advisor on the Knowledge Leadership team at the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), has spent the last few years diving into the science globally to see what the most nutrient-dense foods are.
 
He also studies the nutritional deficiencies that we’re facing worldwide — in developing and well-off countries — to see what’s really happening here.
 
In this episode, you’ll learn what the most nutrient-dense foods are, the most common micronutrient deficiencies we’re currently facing and why this is crucial to pay attention to, how we can address these issues, and what the real food rankings should look like.
 
Ty and Dr. Anthony Gustin also discuss regenerative agriculture, different diets like vegan and carnivore, whether seed oils are unhealthy, and the bioavailability of food.
 
You’ll also hear Ty’s opinion on whether we should reduce our meat consumption, including red meat, his thoughts on saturated fat, and whether plant toxins are really an issue.
 
If you’re not familiar with Ty Beal’s work, he’s a Washington, D.C., based researcher and Research Advisor on the Knowledge Leadership team at the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN).
 
His objective work has been quoted in dozens of research papers to date, and he has extensive experience studying diet quality, food affordability, sustainable food systems, micronutrient deficiencies, global health, and more.
 
You’ll find a breakdown of the topics Ty Beal and Dr. Anthony Gustin get into in this episode below:
What got Ty Beal into nutrition research
What he changed on his own health journey
What makes a food ultra processed?
What makes ultra processed foods so bad for your health?
The most prevalent nutrient deficiencies worldwide
Why are these nutrient deficiencies happening?
What are some of the most nutrient dense foods?
Where Ty goes to see the nutrient density of a food
What about the bioavailability of foods?
Is there enough scientific evidence to say that we should reduce our animal consumption?
Ty shares his thoughts on regenerative agriculture and using circular systems, including what the latter is
Should red meat be demonized as much as it currently is?
Is saturated fat really bad for us?
Ty also shares his thoughts on consuming seed oils
 
Resources mentioned in the episode:
Ty Beal’s work on Google Scholar 
Ty Beal’s Twitter
Micronutrient deficiencies among preschool-aged children and women of reproductive age worldwide: a pooled analysis of individual-level data from population-representative surveys
Limitations of the Food Compass Nutrient Profiling System
Friend or Foe? The Role of Animal-Source Foods in Healthy and Environmentally Sustainable Diets
Protein quality as a complementary functional unit in life cycle assessment (LCA)
Measuring what the world eats: Insights from a new approach
Estimating national and subnational nutrient intake distributions of global diets
The Keto Answers Podcast Episode 20: Nina Teicholz - Embracing Saturated Fat and Why Our Nutrition Policy Is Wrong
The Natural State Podcast Episode 166: Dr. Bill Schindler -  Learning How To Eat Like a Human
The Natural State Podcast Episode 163: Chris Kresser - Addressing Nutrient Deficiencies in Healthy Populations, The Most Nutrient Dense Foods, Pleiotropic Interventions, and More
The Natural State Podcast Episode 158: Dr. Stephan van Vliet - Comparing the Nutrient Density of Grass-Fed vs. Grain-Fed Meat
The Natural State Podcast Episode 139: Eric Perner - Optimizing Regenerative Agriculture for a Better Future for Our Planet
Anna Borek’s self experimentation on oats versus canola oil